Lotion bar recipe question

[Zing]

Thanks @Carly B

Hey ya @Zing - anything to chime in, oh wise sensei of lotion bars?

LOL. I didn't weigh in because I don't know what kind of mango butter is in my basement! All I know is it's from Bramble Berry. Even with coconut oil, I can never remember what kind I have. When I'm at the store, I frequently have to call Mrs. Zing and ask her to look in the basement to see if I use unrefined or refined.

 

[DeeAnna]

Thought I'd share my 2 cents worth as my thank-you to @Zing for all the good info and kind advice they have shared so freely with us.

I had two goals for my lotion bar project -- (1) to use only liquid fats and beeswax since I don't keep nut butters on hand and (2) to include a modest amount of lanolin in the recipe to soothe dry itchy skin. Here is the formulation I came up with --

Meadowfoam 30.8% (alternative: high oleic sunflower)
Jojoba 30.8%
Lanolin 4.4% (if you don't want to use lanolin, add 2.2% to each of the liquid fats)
Beeswax 33.0%
Fragrance 1.0%

The rule of thumb for salves and balms is the 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 butter, 1/3 liquid oil recipe. I know these proportions work pretty well. But the implication is a solid butter is ~required~ for a salve or balm and that isn't strictly true. I've been making lip balms for years with just two liquid fats and beeswax -- no butters -- and I became curious to see if a lotion bar could also be made this way.

I tried a version with 31.5% beeswax which is the amount I use for my lip balm recipe. While this works fine for lip balm, it was too soft and greasy for my taste when used as a lotion bar.

I upped the beeswax to about 32.3% and that was better but still not quite right.

Third try was beeswax 33.0% and this turned out juuuussst right. I think this % of beeswax is good for wintertime use -- soft enough to glide fairly well on the skin, but not particularly gooey or greasy.

So we're back to a recipe based (roughly) on one-third proportions -- 1/3 beeswax and 2/3 liquid fats.

 

[Zing]

Thought I'd share my 2 cents worth as my thank-you to @Zing for all the good info and kind advice they have shared so freely with us.

I had two goals for my lotion bar project -- (1) to use only liquid fats and beeswax since I don't keep nut butters on hand and (2) to include a modest amount of lanolin in the recipe to soothe dry itchy skin. Here is the formulation I came up with --

Meadowfoam 30.8% (alternative: high oleic sunflower)
Jojoba 30.8%
Lanolin 4.4% (if you don't want to use lanolin, add 2.2% to each of the liquid fats)
Beeswax 33.0%
Fragrance 1.0%

The rule of thumb for salves and balms is the 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 butter, 1/3 liquid oil recipe. I know these proportions work pretty well. But the implication is a solid butter is ~required~ for a salve or balm and that isn't strictly true. I've been making lip balms for years with just two liquid fats and beeswax -- no butters -- and I became curious to see if a lotion bar could also be made this way.

I tried a version with 31.5% beeswax which is the amount I use for my lip balm recipe. While this works fine for lip balm, it was too soft and greasy for my taste when used as a lotion bar.

I upped the beeswax to about 32.3% and that was better but still not quite right.

Third try was beeswax 33.0% and this turned out juuuussst right. I think this % of beeswax is good for wintertime use -- soft enough to glide fairly well on the skin, but not particularly gooey or greasy.

So we're back to a recipe based (roughly) on one-third proportions -- 1/3 beeswax and 2/3 liquid fats.

I'm available here as a tester and think it's best to send me as many bars as you can, you know, for research purposes.
Lanolin is on my list.

 

[DeeAnna]

@Zing -- I've been testing my first tiny batch for about a month, and I really like how the lotion bar is helping my itchy dry skin. I'm guessing the beeswax and lanolin are the occlusive ingredients and the lanolin and the liquid fats are contributing to softening and soothing.

I also make an emulsified lotion using a blend of meadowfoam and jojoba and that works nice during the warmer months. But I know for certain this lotion doesn't zap the winter-time itchiness as well as this lotion bar is doing.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@DeeAnna thanks for sharing the lotion bar recipe, which I will try very soon. I already adopted your lip balm recipe. We're happy with it in my household, plus it's super easy to make.

 

[Catscankim]

I know I started another thread regarding tapioca starch in lotion bars, but I am tired of going back and forth so I am gonna post here. I didn't realize this was an on going thread. Admins can move my other thread here if they want.

I don't know why making lotion bars is stressing me out. I have been planning them since last week LOL.

I want to make a small batch, then I figured I could go from there in formulating something...or maybe I will just like my first batch so much that it becomes my regular recipe.

I have been through this thread a million times since Friday. Am I assuming correctly that the measurements are in weights? I've scoured google and only see their recipes in cups. If I go with a basic trinity I can measure out and weigh 1/3 of each ingredient?

I watched Mrs Soap and Clay, and she described skin penetration of various oils "and all the things". I think I am going to just stick to something basic for now just to get my feet wet and not waste anything.

Last question, I think lol. If I add mica to the batch, won't it color your skin? Which wouldn't be bad if I was going for a bronzing lotion, but I don't want to join the Blue Man crew if I made it blue LOL.

 

[Zing]

I know I started another thread regarding tapioca starch in lotion bars, but I am tired of going back and forth so I am gonna post here. I didn't realize this was an on going thread. Admins can move my other thread here if they want.

I don't know why making lotion bars is stressing me out. I have been planning them since last week LOL.

I want to make a small batch, then I figured I could go from there in formulating something...or maybe I will just like my first batch so much that it becomes my regular recipe.

I have been through this thread a million times since Friday. Am I assuming correctly that the measurements are in weights? I've scoured google and only see their recipes in cups. If I go with a basic trinity I can measure out and weigh 1/3 of each ingredient?

I watched Mrs Soap and Clay, and she described skin penetration of various oils "and all the things". I think I am going to just stick to something basic for now just to get my feet wet and not waste anything.

Last question, I think lol. If I add mica to the batch, won't it color your skin? Which wouldn't be bad if I was going for a bronzing lotion, but I don't want to join the Blue Man crew if I made it blue LOL.

Supportive me: So let's take a big breath together, now, okay? Inhale...Exhale....
Slap you upside the head me: Soap can stress you out, fine. Lotion bars though?! Really?! Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis? They're easy peasy!

Big YES on the weight. With the mica, it's never occurred to me to add color. I'd advise settling on a good recipe first.

Also, you won't waste anything. If your first batch is too liquidy, just remelt and add more wax. If it's too hard, just re-melt and add more oil. You cannot mess this up.

It's still early so I'm gonna check back in an hour and hope to see a post from you that it's all poured and you're just waiting on things to cool down. Go already!

 

[Catscankim]

Bugger, you got me. Ok, I will be back

 

[dmcgee5034]

Last question, I think lol. If I add mica to the batch, won't it color your skin? Which wouldn't be bad if I was going for a bronzing lotion, but I don't want to join the Blue Man crew if I made it blue LOL.

I added a tiny smidge of mica to my full batch, poured half, and then added a tiny smidge more for the other half of my Valentines hearts and they don’t tint me or my testers. I also used rose gold mica, so even if they did, it wouldn’t be like Avatar Blue or something. I messaged BB about it, and they said just don’t use too much. HTH

 

[dmcgee5034]

@Zing - guess who got Meadowfoam Seed Oil???

 

[Catscankim]

OK Mr. Zing. You won.

1/3 each Beeswax, Kokum Butter, and Apricot Kernel oil. I eyeballed the tapioca starch, probably about a 1/4 tsp. Also eyeballed EO: Ylang Ylang, Cedar, and Lime. I was just going to go with the ylang ylang and cedar, but I needed a top note in there, it was too much bottom, so I went with lime, the only lighter smell I had in EO form. But I needed something to break up the other two. All in super small proportions since I was eyeballing it. Darn, I shoulda went with Frankincense LOL. I forgot about that.

I dunno why, but my kitchen smells like lime right now, but I just scraped off a bit of hardened lotion bar that dripped on the outside of the mold, and it smells only of ylang ylang.

Anyway @Zing here are my pours. They are in little bee molds. You are such an enabler LOL

 

[Catscankim]

I guess @Zing fell asleep, since he threatened me with an hour time line lol

 

[AliOop]

Let us know how you like them, @Catscankim. They look great so far.

 

[Catscankim]

I dunno. A little sticky. Maybe up the tapioca or use a different butter. I can put apricot kernel oil on my skin and rub it in and it disappears, so its not the liquid oil.

 

[Zing]

OK Mr. Zing. You won.

1/3 each Beeswax, Kokum Butter, and Apricot Kernel oil. I eyeballed the tapioca starch, probably about a 1/4 tsp. Also eyeballed EO: Ylang Ylang, Cedar, and Lime. I was just going to go with the ylang ylang and cedar, but I needed a top note in there, it was too much bottom, so I went with lime, the only lighter smell I had in EO form. But I needed something to break up the other two. All in super small proportions since I was eyeballing it. Darn, I shoulda went with Frankincense LOL. I forgot about that.

I dunno why, but my kitchen smells like lime right now, but I just scraped off a bit of hardened lotion bar that dripped on the outside of the mold, and it smells only of ylang ylang.

Anyway @Zing here are my pours. They are in little bee molds. You are such an enabler LOL

View attachment 70677

I'm here, just, you know, have a life outside of this forum. I love love love your ingredients and it sounds like the perfect combination. Kokum butter??!! Apricot kernel oil??!! What's not to like? It looks like you are over-achieving with the EOs. I make such small batches and now keep to just 1 EO. Lime sends me over the moon, I'm sure it's awesome. Congrats!

 

[AliOop]

I dunno. A little sticky. Maybe up the tapioca or use a different butter. I can put apricot kernel oil on my skin and rub it in and it disappears, so its not the liquid oil.

You might give them a few days of curing and then see what you think. They are usually less sticky after they dry out a bit.

 

[DeeAnna]

In my experience, the stickiness can be reduced by slightly increasing the beeswax percentage. Just a small tad up or down can make quite a difference.

Many moons ago (probably one of my very early forays into lotion bar making), I played around with adding a starch -- think it was extra fine rice flour. Although the starch powder helped reduce the stickiness, I'd rather modify the wax content than add solids. This is purely my preference -- I know others like adding a fine starch powder to reduce stickiness and add a silky feel.

 

[Gaisy59]

Has anyone tried cerebellum wax? I have lots of that but no beeswax.

 

[lucycat]

I add mica but also a tiny amount. I want it to distinguish lotion bars with different fragrance. My batch makes 9 lotion bars. The mica colors the bars but doesn't really disolve fully. It is very easy for the mica to settle at the bottom of the container with the last lotion bar having uneven color and mica spots. I try for less than 1/8 tsp, use a tiny spoon called a "pinch".

 

[Christa10]

Thought I'd share my 2 cents worth as my thank-you to @Zing for all the good info and kind advice they have shared so freely with us.

I had two goals for my lotion bar project -- (1) to use only liquid fats and beeswax since I don't keep nut butters on hand and (2) to include a modest amount of lanolin in the recipe to soothe dry itchy skin. Here is the formulation I came up with --

Meadowfoam 30.8% (alternative: high oleic sunflower)
Jojoba 30.8%
Lanolin 4.4% (if you don't want to use lanolin, add 2.2% to each of the liquid fats)
Beeswax 33.0%
Fragrance 1.0%

The rule of thumb for salves and balms is the 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 butter, 1/3 liquid oil recipe. I know these proportions work pretty well. But the implication is a solid butter is ~required~ for a salve or balm and that isn't strictly true. I've been making lip balms for years with just two liquid fats and beeswax -- no butters -- and I became curious to see if a lotion bar could also be made this way.

I tried a version with 31.5% beeswax which is the amount I use for my lip balm recipe. While this works fine for lip balm, it was too soft and greasy for my taste when used as a lotion bar.

I upped the beeswax to about 32.3% and that was better but still not quite right.

Third try was beeswax 33.0% and this turned out juuuussst right. I think this % of beeswax is good for wintertime use -- soft enough to glide fairly well on the skin, but not particularly gooey or greasy.

So we're back to a recipe based (roughly) on one-third proportions -- 1/3 beeswax and 2/3 liquid fats.

Hi DeeAnna, I would like to try this version of the lotion bar, but am wondering if there is a substitute for the lanolin that you might recommend for our vegan friends? I was wondering maybe Babassu oil?